This application relates to a multi-position container.
Nesting and stacking containers, e.g., containers so constructed that an upper container will nest within or stack on a lower container of like construction when said upper container is rotated to a different orientation are well known in the art. Such containers have great utility in various industries, e.g., the baking industry. However, one frequently troublesome and undesirable problem with such containers is the different orientation required when one container is stacked on, or nested within, a like lower container. In manual handling the operator will frequently misorient the container being nested or stacked, resulting in increased handling of the container and loss of time. Moreover, automation of the handling of such containers is difficult. In recent times it has become increasingly desirable to have a container which will nest within, or stack on, a like container of like orientation, i.e., without rotating the upper container with respect to the lower container. Only a few such containers are known to the art and/or are commercially available. It is even more desirable to have a container which will nest within a like-oriented container of like construction, and which can also be stacked with a like container at two or more elevations without the necessity of rotating the upper container with respect to the lower container. Even fewer of such containers are known to the art and/or are commercially available. Insofar as is presently known those which are commercially available tend to be of complicated and/or impractical design.
It is also desirable that containers of the type considered herein be of light weight and sturdy construction and be capable of being economically fabricated from moldable materials such as plastics and metals. For example, it is desirable that such containers be provided with maximum vertical strength in the wall portions (commensurate with the weight of the container) so that when a number of filled containers are stacked vertically the lowermost containers in the stack will not be collapsed or become warped.
It is also desirable that said containers be provided with convenient handle means for manual handling. Even though mechanical handling of such containers, and particularly the palletizing of groups of such containers, is being more and more widely employed, there are still steps in said mechanical handling operations where the containers must be handled manually. It is further desirable that the containers be provided with substantially flat walls, if possible, to facilitate mechanical handling, such as on conveyor belts, etc.
Attaining all of the above advantages or features in one container has been extremely difficult. The side and end walls of prior art containers have been provided with corrugations or convolutions so as to provide increased vertical strength thereto. However, this has created problems in the handling of said containers due to interlocking of said corrugations or convolutions when the ends of containers encounter one another in use, as on conveyor belts or when placed side by side. Containers in the past have been commonly provided with handles by providing an opening in opposed walls adjacent the top thereof. Such handle openings weaken said walls. Furthermore, such openings provide places where the contents of the container can be damaged by the fingers of the person handling the container.
The above problems have been solved, in accordance with U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,453, by providing a nesting and stacking container which is not subject to the above difficulties or limitations. The improved containers of said patent are provided with an improved wall structure which makes it possible to nest an upper container within a like-oriented, lower container of like construction, and also to stack a said upper container on a said lower container in a "high-stack" position without rotating said upper container with respect to the lower container. In a preferred embodiment, said upper container can also be stacked within a like lower container at an "intermediate-stack" position without rotating the upper container with respect to the lower container. Thus, the containers of said patent can be employed in handling a greater variety of products in a more economical and efficient manner. For example, in the handling of bakery products, the containers of the invention can be employed in a "high-stack" position when filled with relatively high products, e.g., cakes or loaves of bread, or can be employed in a "intermediate-stack" position when filled with products having a low height, e.g., rolls, pies, etc. Thus, a bakery operator can employ containers of the patent in multiple uses and eliminate the need for stocking several different types of containers for different types of products.
Thus, according to said U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,453, there is provided a generally rectangular nesting and stacking container comprising a generally, horizontally-disposed bottom, and opposed first and second side wall structures projecting upwardly from opposed first and second sides of the bottom, with each of the wall structures comprising, in combination: a plurality of spaced apart stacking feet disposed on the side of the bottom; an upper rail member spaced from and disposed generally vertically above the side of the bottom; a plurality of spaced apart stacking saddles disposed on the inner surface of the upper rail member and in vertical alignment with the stacking feet; and a plurality of spaced apart and like inclined bar members extending upwardly, in one direction only, between the side of the bottom and the inner surface of the rail member and in the same vertical plane as the stacking feet and the stacking saddles; with the stacking feet, the stacking saddles, and the inclined bar members in each wall structure being so arranged with respect to each other that an upper container will (a) stack vertically on a like-oriented lower container of like construction when at least some of the stacking feet of the upper container are in vertical alignment with and in register with at least some of the stacking saddles in the corresponding wall structure of the lower container, and (b) nest vertically within the lower container when the upper container is moved diagonally downward into said lower container to place the bar members of the upper container parallel to the bar members in the corresponding wall structure of the lower container, with the stacking feet of the upper container out of register with the stacking saddles of the lower container.
In the use of production models of the container of said U.S. Pat. No. 4,102,453, several problems were encountered.
First, it was found that sharp edges on the inner walls of the container tended to damage products contained therein and interfered with the loading and unloading thereof. Secondly, it was found that, during stacking of a plurality of the containers, particularly when loaded with products, there was a tendency for the topmost container to hang-up on the container immediately below during stacking. Finally, for some uses, the previous structure lacked sufficient strength.